When the dust has settled
by Netta Sloan
Summary: manga as canon.  A happy ending, hopefully, and various scenes beyond.
1. Sleeping

A warm hand on her shoulder caused her to jump, waking from a light doze.

She craned her head back against the warm abs of the person responsible.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She softened her glare as he apologized, looking genuinely chastised. "How is he?"

She looked down at the figure in the bed whose hand was entwined in hers. "He ate a bowl of soup and some bread while you were out. We talked for a little while, then he asked me to sing and he fell asleep."

The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently. "You should get some sleep, too."

She hesitated before answering, "I don't want to leave him."

The hand lifted off of her shoulder and missing it's warmth she turned around in the chair to see where he was going. She heard his uneven steps shuffle down the hallway and turned back to the figure in the bed. Placing a hand on his forehead, she made sure he was well and fast asleep. Standing, she leaned over, letting her lips brush the sleeper's temple and headed for the door.

She had to walk carefully in the hallway; the way was dark and unfamiliar. A scraping sound in the shadows at the far end caught her attention and she peered into the gloom, hoping to make out what it was. A chair appeared in one of the few rays of murky light. It moved towards her. She tensed until she saw the hands on the chair back holding it. "What are you doing?"

The chair halted in mid-air. She heard a sigh and then a slight chuckle. "I thought you wanted to stay with him."

"I did, but I thought you might have been upset."

"I'm not. I understand. It was really hard to tear myself away for a few hours of rest. I'm not even sure I really managed to fall asleep." The chair resumed its movement towards her.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I thought I'd bring another chair in, so we could both be there."

She nodded satisfied and turned back to the room, the man holding the chair following. She sat down as he made himself comfortable beside her. She was surprised when he wrapped an arm around her, leaning her back against him. She struggled to sit back up, to ask what he was doing when his voice rumbled in his throat against her ear. "Get some sleep. We'll both be here, you can count on it."

She opened her mouth to reply, but yawned instead. She could hear his heartbeat and his warmth was steadily driving the chill away. Her hand skimmed over the blanket and finding what she was looking for, she entwined her fingers with that of the person lying there, and fell asleep.

_Author's note: Al is sleeping in the bed, recovering from the malnutrition caused by his being in the gate for so long. Winry and Ed are the observers._


	2. The cut

Alphonse closed his eyes as the brush swept through his hair, loving the zinging sound the bristles made as each strand was caressed. The gentle scratching on his scalp sent shivers down his spine. Wafts of sweet smelling conditioner floated by as his hair was combed out. Looking up, he met his brother's eyes in the mirror. He smiled as Ed snorted and looked away; caught staring. A feminine giggle was heard above him before the girl holding the brush spoke.

"Are you sure about this?" He looked into the reflection of Winry's blue eyes in the mirror before his gaze slid back over to Ed's reflection. His older brother looked slightly distressed, his handsome face scrunched in concern. Al admired the long golden hair that for a change Ed was wearing down, before looking back to his own locks in the mirror.

"I'm sure." He whispered, apology in his eyes, but lips pressed together firmly after giving his answer. He moaned and closed his eyes again when gentle fingers slid through his hair, pulling it up and into a pony tail. He heard the gentle slink of scissors and something silky slid down his shoulders. A door shutting caused him to open his eyes again, searching in the mirror for who had left.

"Don't worry. He'll be okay once it's done." Delicate hands set the scissors down and picked up a buzzer. He nodded and closed his eyes again, doing his best to just lose himself in the gentle vibrations running over the back of his neck and ignore the guilt. Al was soon lost in the gentle feeling of fingers running all over his scalp. A slight pressure and he would turn as his stylist wanted, another bit of flesh enticingly caressed. He started to drift, lost in being so intimately touched after years of being unable to feel even the wind.

The buzzer shut off and the sensations stopped, causing him to start out of his reverie. He flushed a slight pink at the person staring at him through the mirror. Winry giggled and proceeded to use a fluffy towel to remove any stray hairs from his shoulders and face. Arms wrapped around him and he laughed as he felt her breath move through his now short hair. "So, what do you think?"

He swiveled around, knocking her arms away and embraced her waist from his position in the chair. "I think it looks great. Thank you so much." Melancholy dripped back into his voice as he thanked her, and he squeezed tighter, burying his face against her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Her hands were in his hair again and the concern in her voice almost caused him to choke up. Al swallowed down his tears, trying to keep his voice even as he spoke.

"I just…Thank you…for everything." He looked up at her, to see her smiling still.

"Come on, let's go show Ed." Al released her waist and took her hand at her insistent tugging, letting her lead him down the stairs.

"Ed!" Al cringed as Winry called out, reluctant to see his brother's reaction.

"Ed! Come and look at Al's hair!" A huff was heard from in the next room and a book shut. Footsteps approached and Al quickly sank down onto the sofa, fully aware of how much Ed hated being looked down on.

Al carefully met Ed's gaze as the older brother came into the room. He watched as golden eyes, mirrors of his own, passed between him and Winry. "It looks good. You did an awesome job." Al was a little shocked as Ed passed his judgment, but seeing his older brother gently squeeze the mechanics hand caused his eyes to almost pop out of his head. At his sharp intake of breath, Ed and Winry looked down at him, hands still clasped. "What's wrong, Al?" Metal fingers ruffled his hair and he smiled at the familiar cocky grin now on Ed's face.

"Nothing Brother."

_Author's notes: I've decided to just put random one-shots in this story for events that happen post-manga-series. This story was inspired by a picture by LittleChemist and the title page for "The Art of Fullmetal Alchemist 2" by Hiromu Arakawa._


	3. A piece

"Come in." His voice was softer than he wanted for it to be and he feared the person knocking wouldn't be able to hear him at first. He was relieved when the knob jiggled open and Ed stepped into the room holding a tray. "Big Brother."

"Hey Al." The door was shut and Ed sat the tray down on the nightstand before taking a seat in one of the two chairs next to the bed. "Winry thought you might be hungry and sent me up with some food."

"Is that why there is a new bandage on your head?" He giggled as he pointed at Ed.

"Yeah, well, you know. Sometimes she has to ask extra hard." Ed joined him in his giggling. A moment of awkward silence fell over the two brothers as the laughter passed. When their eyes met again, the tension seemed to pass as they both broke out in relieved grins. "Eat up. You don't want her to come up here and hit me again, do you?"

Al pretended to think that idea over some as Ed broke out in a little bit of a sweat. "I don't know…maybe?" He grinned mischievously as Ed's eyebrows creased in worry and laughed again. "Just teasing." Al picked the plate up from the tray, surprised a little at its weight, but waving Ed away when he moved to help. Ed bit his lip nervously as Al surveyed what was on the plate.

"Apple pie." Al smiled down at the slice of pie, the fork resting just to the side of a dollop of cream. "She remembered."

"Of course she did, she's our Winry." Ed's voice broke into his thoughts and he wiped at his eyes, surprised at the tears that formed there. "Al." Ed sounded concerned and the chair creaked as it was roughly moved closer to the bed.

"A lot of people got hurt who helped us, huh?" Al heard Ed swallow loudly and he brushed another tear from his eye.

"Yeah, Al, they did, but they wanted to help. I don't think they'd mind too much, if they could see you now."

Al nodded and took a bite of the pie. "Mmmm…it's good."

_Author's note: This one-shot is dedicated to Sousukes-Girl for all of her great reviews and encouragement. _


	4. Alright

A rushing, like a warm stream pulsing down a break in the rocks; it was his first awareness. His head rested on something soft and warm, but that couldn't be right because his head couldn't feel anything. Gentle fingers fumbled at his neck and he swallowed, tasting blood and bile and salt. He gasped and felt air burn down his throat, more blood and salt on the currents. A loud crunch next to him made him flinch and he felt hands grab roughly at his shoulders.

Two broken voices sobbed his name and wetness dripped onto his face. Shakily, he tried to open his eyes, a blurry mix of gold and black coming into view. Slowly, the world around him came into focus, the colors straightening into the familiar planes of his brother's anguished face. A soft touch glided through his hair and he leaned into the caress, reveling in the feeling of skin on skin.

"Edward…" His voice came out in a whisper, but his brother's face lost its tension, dissolving into a smile as more tears poured from the golden eyes.

"Al…" The hands tightened on his shoulders, one painfully and he shrank back a little, more into the warmth he was resting on. Another sob rang out and for the first time he realized he was lying in someone's lap, with Ed kneeling in front of him holding his shoulders. He looked up, just in time to see her move.

"Ed, you did it." He only saw a flash of her blue eyes as she stretched her arms over him, reaching for his older brother who was crying silent tears of happiness over him. He felt tears well up in his own eyes as he watched Winry grab Ed and pull his face down to hers, to meet in what he was sure would be the first of many kisses. Everything was going to be alright, now.

_Author's note: Inspired by ElricKeyblade who is always encouraging me to write more happy Ed/Win stories._


	5. Remembered words

"Big Brother…Brother…Ed…wake-up…" A hand shaking his knee and a soft familiar voice woke him gently out of sleep. Golden eyes blinked blearily as they attempted to focus on a gaunt face. "Brother?" Not armor; matching eyes, only softly shaded with concern.

"Morning Al." Ed straightened in the chair, his back and neck protesting as they were roughly forced into normal posture.

"Did you sleep there all night?"

"Mmm-hmmm." He replied, stretching his arms overhead to remove the kinks along his spine.

"Brother, you know that's bad for you. You should go lay down for a while."

"Where's Winry?" Ed glared at Al's knowing smile, but he couldn't keep a smile from forming on his face for long. It was a contest Ed knew Al would be winning for some time. "Okay, you win. So where is she?"

"I don't know." Al shrugged his bony shoulders and Ed winced to see the bones moving so plainly under his skin. "Was she supposed to be here?"

"She was sleeping in the other chair last I remember."

"Oh you mean the chair scooted so close to yours?"

Ed carefully ignored the question as he stood up. "Guess I'd better go find her. Do you want anything? Breakfast?"

"Nope, I'm good." Ed frowned down at this response.

"You need to eat to regain your strength."

"I will, go find Winry. I'm sure once you find her I'll end up having a full course shoved down my throat."

Ed laughed in response, "Yeah, that or a new lump on your head." He couldn't resist reaching down to tousle Al's long blond hair before leaving the room.

He walked quietly down the old hall, taking care not to let his mechanical foot stomp on the floor. Ed held his breath as he opened door after door, hoping to find her asleep on one of the beds, but knowing this wouldn't be the case. After closing the last door he sighed and started down the stairs. The curtains in the living room were still drawn, shadows and murky light crowding out any warmth usually contained in the living space. Ed opened his mouth about to call out when he heard her, soft sobs, coming from the kitchen.

He stopped in the doorway and watched her shoulders hitch as she cried; her hands busy with a rolling pin. Ed hesitated, not sure if he should call out or just go back upstairs until she'd finished whatever it was she was making. His thoughts wandered back to last night, how she felt sleeping in his arms and his mind was made up.

"Winry." She froze and he crossed the room, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Winry, why are you crying down here by yourself?"

He felt her breathe heavily and before he could prepare himself for her answer, she leaned back against him. He felt his heart stumble in his chest and he hesitantly wrapped his left arm around her. She turned under his arm and he felt her hands slither around his waist. Ed breathed heavily, feeling her breasts press up against his chest, wondering what she was thinking.

"Winry, please don't cry." He whispered in her ear as she pressed her face into his neck, her lips grazing the bolt on his collar bone.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you crying?"

"I was making Al some apple pie, like I promised and I was remembering…" She dug her face farther into his neck as words failed her. Ed felt like a scab had been ripped off a fresh wound as he finally realized what exactly she had been thinking about. He wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders, his metal hand coming up to tangle in her hair. He let her sob against him; chest heaving against his; her warm tears trailing down his neck; her open lips occasionally brushing against his skin. _A perfect wife someday…_ Hughes' words echoed in his mind and he unknowingly smiled a sad smile against the top of her head.

_Author's note: I had S.J. Smith or EvilLittleDog as she is called on LJ in mind as I wrote this. (For Hughes lovers everywhere)_


	6. Secret letter

Winry smiled in delight as the boy on the hill spread his arms wide as if he was embracing the heavens. She heard him giggle and her smile widened. Bathed in sunlight, with his head tossed back and mouth open as if he were catching raindrops; she thought he made a lovely picture. She sighed as a slight breeze blew her hair back, perfectly content.

Footsteps swished through the grass behind her. "Hey Winry." She turned to look at him with the happy smile still plastered on her face and he smiled back automatically. He tossed his chin in Al's direction, "What's he doing?"

Winry shrugged and giggled. "Said he wanted to taste the sunshine. I knew you wouldn't want for him to be alone."

Ed looked surprised, but quickly smiled again. "You're right," he said softly, before leaning in and gently kissing her on the lips. She brought a hand up to her lips when he broke it off, her blush mirroring his.

"What was that for?"

This time it was Ed's turn to shrug. "Just…thank you…and I'm sorry."

Her face creased in confusion. "What are you sorry for?"

Winry's smile faded as Ed's face turned dark. "For everything that has happened and for everything that will." He dug deep into his pocket, pulling out a letter and handing it to her. "Read it after. It's decoded inside the envelope."

She felt her eyes fill with tears at the expression on his face. "Will you be coming back?"

Her chin wobbled as he sighed in reply. Her tears were about to fall when he leaned in again, earnestly pressing his forehead to hers and grabbing both of her hands in his. "You can count on it."

They heard the clop of horses' hooves on gravel before Al turned around. "Hey! Big Brother, why are they here?!"

Winry sniffed hard as Al came down the hill to join them, the letter discreetly placed next to her small toolkit in her skirt pocket. She watched Al's face as Ed whispered in his ear. The boy showed surprise, and then looked like he was going to cry, before finally a mask of hardened resolve formed his expression. When Ed turned back, they faced her together, expressions matched and she felt her spirits lift. Ed gently squeezed her shoulder before walking towards the carriage in the driveway. She felt Al's hand slip in to hers, an unspoken agreement passing between them.

_13/12/07 Author's note: This chapter was inspired by Ishte's political rant in her review for "Letters of change" so this is dedicated in her honor. Thanks Ishte and may you find many typos :p_


	7. first light

The light was dim as he opened his eyes, and for a moment he forgot where he was. Two doors appeared briefly and faded out to reveal shaded windows, brighter light shining behind the lace. The blankets were scratchy, but warm. His eyes surveyed the room, taking in the bare furnishings and the shadows on the wood. It looked slightly familiar. He couldn't help but smile as his eyes alighted on the figure in the chair next to him.

She was bathed in the patchy light through the curtains. Her hair looking like a patch of sunflowers caught in the moonlight. She was breathing deeply, her head bowed on her chest. She wore simple clothes and another blanket was around her shoulders. He wondered briefly if she put the blanket there or if someone else came in and did it. "Winry. Winry, wake up." He gently grasped her hand, mesmerized by the feel of her skin against his as she tightened her fingers reflexively. He grasped her knee, intending to shake her awake, and felt a thrill as her lean muscles tensed under his touch. "Winry, come on. Where is Big Brother?"

"What? Ed?" Al smiled as she slowly became aware and released her leg, taking up her hand again.

"No, Winry. It's me. Al. Where is Ed?"

He giggled as she pulled her hand free. Yawned and stretched; knocking the blanket to the floor. Al felt the thrill again as he watched her chest heave and he looked away with a blush. With a fist in her eye, she finally answered his question. "Ed's in the room across the hall. I made him go get some sleep. How are you feeling, Al?" She smiled as she said his name and he couldn't help smiling back.

"I feel good, Winry. Better than good, perfect even. But Winry, how about you? And what about, Brother? Did we do it? Does he have his limbs back? You were there, weren't you? At the gate I mean? To greet me? How? You're not an alchemist?! And Scar! What happened?!"

He watched in panic as she cringed under his questions, instantly feeling guilty, but with a burning need for answers. She fidgeted as his eyes bored into hers, and he could see the confusion and sadness waiting there. "Well, Al…" she started off slowly, hesitating and he grabbed her hand up again, squeezing with earnest encouragement. "I'm fine and so is Ed. I don't know how I was there, but I was. I don't know what happened with Scar, it was all just too fast."

Al took a moment to process the information, his own mixed recollections mixing with what she told him. Winry waited him out in silence and he could swear he saw a blush burning on her cheeks. He wondered if it was because she'd seen him naked, but dismissed the thought. Winry saw a lot of people naked in her line of work. An image from his dream, her and his big brother kissing, floated in his mind. Perhaps that was more than just a dream. He considered asking about it, but her averted eyes made him decide not to. Besides, she still hadn't answered his most important question. "But Winry, what about Big Brother? Did we do it, does he have his limbs?"

Al knew the answer before she spoke. Her distressed face said everything. He felt tears well in his eyes and awkwardly threw his arms around her waist, burying his face in her lap. He felt her fingers stroking his hair as she answered. "Ed says that he has everything he set out to reclaim."

He sniffled and spoke around his soft sobs. "But we promised…you…he promised…how can it be finished?!"

He sobbed softly, waiting for her to say something, but her only response was to continue running her fingers through his hair. After a little while, when his sobs died down to just quiet sniffles and silent tears he heard her begin to hum. The tune was old and familiar, but he couldn't say when he'd heard it before. Al closed his eyes, basking in her touch, her voice, her warmth and slowly drifted back off to sleep.

_Author's note: I had all of my anonymous reviewers in mind as I wrote this, (particularly Edmame). I always feel bad that I can't send you guys personalized replies to your nice words...but then I always feel bad when I send a personalized response and it goes on forever. (I can't help but ramble, sometimes, haha.) Thank you so much for always reading and reviewing my stories. _


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